If you keep up with social media for business the latest news from Facebook probably hasn’t passed by unnoticed. Just in case, though, let’s repeat what Mark Zuckerberg recently said.

In a 3,000 word blog post, Facebook’s CEO and father figure outlined plans for the world-beating social media platform. We’re not going to quote the whole thing, but let’s take the most significant section…

“[Facebook will build] a privacy-focussed messaging and social networking platform.”

It’s all part of a wider bid to improve privacy and win back public favour following a nightmarish 2018 packed with controversies and scandals.

‘Private messaging, ephemeral stories and small groups are by far the fastest growing areas of social media communication.’

So says Zuckerberg, reinforcing the fact that the company is planning to integrate Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram and the daddy network, Facebook.

So we’re likely to see a refocus of the business model, placing Messenger at the centre. It’s something brands— along with their PRs and marketers— are well-placed to take advantage of.

We recently blogged on the best chatbots improving customer service and sales experience. Several were built on Facebook Messenger.

However, to ignore any of the other platforms owned by Facebook right now is a bad idea. Each of the social media platforms run by the tech giant has a slightly different demographic as its core user base.

To forget one would therefore risk brands losing significant reach. Highly active Instagram users, for example, may not regularly use Facebook, and vice versa.

The future is keeping things simple

All this means one all-encompassing behemoth social media platform could be a reality— Facebook’s various arms will eventually be combined. If that happens it could and should make life for brands, marketers and PRs much simpler.

Rather than having to maintain a significant presence on each of the platforms, then, brands can concentrate on developing the best possible presence on just the one. In the long run, this will reduce costs and the required commitment, in turn improving the experience consumers have with the brand as brands get better at response times and innovation. The eventual outcome being a stronger relationship between consumer and brand.

Keep your eyes peeled

At the moment it’s not clear exactly what form this singular social media platform might take. The switch is going to be gradual, that’s for sure, and is likely to be a case of trial and error as the boffins work on delivering something that can keep all users happy. But, while we don’t know the details watching this unfold should be pretty interesting, and makes opting for a forward-thinking social media partner agency all the more important.

Find out how we can help with your social media presence. Get in touch today.